Abstract

Perinatal Depression (PND) is a global public health issue affecting many women as they transition to motherhood, and carrying detrimental consequences for both mothers and infants. Research in low and middle-income countries shows higher PND prevalence rates than in high-income and Western countries. In addition, social support has been shown to strongly protect or reduce the impact of PND. This study aimed to address a gap in research on PND in Egypt, and to build an understanding of the social support ecological system of new mothers. A survey was conducted with 81 first-time middle-class mothers living in Greater Cairo between 1 and 12 months postpartum. It was found that 70.4% of mothers exceeded the EPDS cut-off score of 13, signaling a high rate of PND symptoms. A strong, significant correlation was detected between PND symptoms prevalence and functional social support. Furthermore, functional social support moderated the association between PND scores and mothers’ weekly outings, stressful life events, and having hired help in the household. Availability of informational, instrumental, emotional, and appraisal support was provided through mothers’ informal and formal support networks. Participants’ husbands and mothers provided the most support in the informal network across all support types, while pediatricians presented the most informational support within the formal network of support. Several postpartum challenges were reported, with breastfeeding the most common. Many participants had unrealistic expectations about motherhood, and most expected motherhood to be rather easy. These findings indicate the importance of raising public awareness of perinatal depression and the challenges of motherhood.

School

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology Department

Degree Name

MA in Community Psychology

Graduation Date

Winter 1-31-2025

Submission Date

9-10-2024

First Advisor

Carie Forden

Committee Member 1

Nour Zaki

Committee Member 2

Hania Sholkamy

Extent

146 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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